Effective Friday April 1, 2022, Bluefield State will suspend all COVID-19 check-In procedures and return to normal operating conditions. Over the last two years, our College has successfully developed and implemented procedures to address college operations during the COVID-19 pandemic, led by B-State’s Back, a college-wide team deeply committed to ensuring everyone’s safety during this unprecedented time. Through the efforts of this team, our students, employees, and community, the percent of positive cases at Bluefield State never exceeded three percent, and has consistently been five to ten percent below our county’s percent of reported cases.

COVID-19 Resources

DHHR’s Bureau for Public Health and the West Virginia Poison Center.  Operators are available 24/7, toll-free at 1-800-887-4304

NCAA Division II Athletics Coronavirus Plan

Southview Pharmacy (located inside Grants Supermarket in Bluewell)
140 Majestic Place
Bluefield, WV 24701  
(304) 589-5025 
Southview Pharmacy
 

Dealing With Stress

COVID-19 FAQs

May 12, 2021

A: If you will not be on campus at all, you will not be required to be tested. However, if you need to come to campus for any reason (testing, bookstore, student services, etc.), you will need to have the results of a negative test on file. Please send a copy of your results to bschealthcenter@bluefieldstate.edu.
A: You do not need to come to the Bluefield campus for testing. You can test through your local physician, health care provider, or medical lab. We will have information about how you can test in the Beckley area. We will need to results of a negative test to include you in our database to be on campus. You can email your results to bschealthcenter@bluefieldstate.edu.
A: No.
A: The BSC Health Center will contact the appropriate county health department, which will contact the individual who has tested positive and obtain from them a list of individuals with whom they’ve been in contact. The health department will then notify those individuals.
A: The student will obtain documentation from the BSC Health Center or the student’s physician, confirming the student has been cleared from quarantine to return to campus.
A: The faculty member/employee is to report this information to the BSC Health Center and tell the student to contact the BSC Health Center.
A: CDC’s guidance COVID-19, also known as Coronavirus, is a new respiratory virus first identified in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China, which has spread globally, including regions in the U.S. Learn about COVID-19 at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website.
A: CDC’s guidance Current symptoms reported for patients with COVID-19 have included mild to severe respiratory illness with fever, cough and difficulty breathing. Read about COVID-19 symptoms. Coronavirus is thought to spread mainly from person to person between people who are in close contact (within about 6 feet). The virus spreads via respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes and their droplets either land in the mouths or noses of nearby people or are inhaled into their lungs. It may be possible that a person can get COVID-19 by touching a surface that has the virus on it and touching their mouth or eyes before washing their hands, but this is not thought to be the main way the virus spreads. For more information, see the CDC page, How it Spreads.
A: BSC urges faculty, staff, and students who have personal or professional plans to travel either internationally or to affected areas in the U.S. to reconsider their travel and to consider the possibility of travel delays, future quarantines, or prolonged self-isolation when returning from travel to the BSC and Mercer County communities. BSC encourage faculty and staff to share any travel plans with their department chair, dean, or manager to facilitate College assistance if the need arises. However, given concerns surrounding the spread of COVID-19, we urge student and college groups to self-report any travel plans with the Office of the Dean of Students Cravor Jones(phone number:(304) 327-4016)(Email: cjones@bluefieldstate.edu) BSC encourages student groups to reconsider travel to any international or domestic location affected by COVID-19. For more information, see the CDC travel information website.
A: Students returning to BSC expected to follow the guidelines of the West Virginia Department of Health and CDC regarding any mandatory quarantine or isolation procedures. Students, faculty, and staff are instructed to follow the CDC’s guidance for self-isolation if traveling from countries with widespread sustained transmission of COVID-19. Students should contact their faculty via email to make arrangements for missing class (see related FAQ below). Employees should contact their Director for any questions about leave. Students returning from affected areas to other states should follow guidelines from their state's public health department.
A: Should a case be positively identified, appropriate communications as guided by the West Virginia Department of Health will occur. For additional information regarding locations impacted by COVID-19 visit the CDC’s global map and the West Virginia Department of Health’s surveillance data.
A: The best preventative steps for any communicable disease include simple but important measures to practice as part of your daily routine, but especially during flu season: Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. Use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol if soap and water are not available. Avoid close contact with people who are sick. Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands. Avoid sharing anything that has come in contact with saliva, whether in your living or social environments. Get adequate sleep and eat well-balanced meals to ensure a healthy immune system. Additional information is available from the CDC.

How to wear a face mask
 
dos and dontshow to wear mask
 
A: Should a case be positively identified, appropriate communications as guided by the West Virginia Department of Health will occur. Protocols are in place for cleaning on-Grounds residences of affected students and work spaces of affected faculty and staff. Administrators will work with faculty to make accommodations for extended student absences.
A: BSC has encouraged community members to become familiar with the facts about COVID-19 and support one another with compassion. If you have questions please contact, BSC’s Interim Dean of Students Office Cravor Jones, by calling 304-327-4016 who has resources to help address any concerns both informally (through coaching and training), and formally, if the situation should arise.

    A: 

    A: BSC is communicating regularly with Mercer County Health Department, Raleigh County Health Department, and local hospitals. News and Alert messages are sent to our listserv as information becomes available. The web site is reviewed and updated as needed to keep the BSC campus informed.

     

    Fall Semester Classes and Academics – For Students

    A: Courses will be delivered in face-to-face, online, and hybrid/blended formats. Students should check their BSC e-mails and Moodle messages daily and contact their instructors to clarify the delivery format.
    A: Students considering dropping a course or withdrawing from the College are encouraged to discuss their situation with their academic advisor and their instructors, the Counseling Center, or another representative of the College before making the decision. Each student considering withdrawal from the College will be given the opportunity to speak with a responsive, caring representative of the College. The Counseling Center staff, Dr. Cravor Jones at cjones@bluefieldstate.edu (304-327-4016) or Dr. Tamara Ferguson at tferguson@bluefieldstate.edu (304-327-4155), will conduct a brief exit interview with the student to facilitate positive action, whether that means withdrawing, remaining, or planning to return to school at a later date. A student who decides to withdraw must obtain a Permit to Withdraw Form which must be submitted to the Registrar’s Office: registrar@bluefieldstate.edu.
    A: Students who have any questions or concerns my contact the Student Affairs Advocate, Dr. Ted Lewis, Provost at tlewis@bluefieldstate.edu or 304-327-4161.

     

    Classes and Academics – For Faculty

    A: Please click the image below for more information.

     

    Visitors to the College

    A: Bluefield State College campus buildings are open to faculty, staff, administrators, students, and the general public. All visitors are required to stop at the point of contact at each entrance to each building for a temperature check and to receive a mask, which must be worn at all times while on campus. Additionally, a Coronavirus Exposure Form must be completed by anyone who enters a campus building. Following the screening process, the visitor will receive a color-coded wristband for entry into other campus buildings. A visitor who fails the screening process will be asked to leave the campus immediately.
    A: All conferences, seminars, and other events on each campus of Bluefield State College are approved on a case-by-case basis. Everyone participating in an on-campus event is required to stop at the point of contact at each entrance to each building for a temperature check and receive a mask which must be worn at all times while on campus. Additionally, a Coronavirus Exposure Form must be completed by anyone entering a campus building. Once approved, the individual will receive a color-coded wristband or stamp for entry into any campus building on that day. Everyone must sign in at the point of contact desk at each building to indicate they have been screened and are considered low risk for having the Coronavirus. Anyone who fails a screening must leave the campus immediately. All athletic events and competitions will strictly follow NCAA requirements. Anyone wanting to schedule an event on campus must contact the Dean of Students, Cravor Jones at cjones@bluefieldstate.edu or 304-327-4016.

     

    Events and Meetings

    A: Meetings are recommended via phone, Google Meet, etc. Each room on campus has been measured for social distancing with a designated capacity limit.

     

    College Offices

    A: Precautions may include plexiglass shields, face shields, masks for employees, wiping down of all surfaces, etc.

    Vaccination Dates

    The BSC Health Center will administer Moderna vaccines and booster shots for BSC students and employees. We will be partnering with Bluestone later in the Spring (March) for community vaccination clinics. If you aren't faculty, staff, or a student, then please visit our COVID-19 resources tab to find a testing location near you. Our BSC Health Center is open from 9AM - 3PM, Monday - Friday.

    Directions

    Message From the President

    May 22, 2020

     

    May 6, 2020

     

    April 28, 2020

     

    April 21, 2020

     

    April 7, 2020

     

    April 1, 2020

     

    March 24, 2020

     

    March 18, 2020

     

    Letter From the President

    March 16, 2020

    Dear Bluefield State Community:

    We are working daily to adjust to the shifting news about the coronavirus (COVID-19). My message today is for our students, faculty and staff. Your well-being and education will always be our primary focus.

    The situation is rapidly evolving. Bluefield State College has no confirmed cases of the coronavirus at this time on campus. That said, we cannot eliminate all risk, but we are taking aggressive steps to minimize it. Because this situation is changing every day, more precautions make sense. We are undertaking the following changes to continue our educational mission.

    Effective Monday, March 16, 2020 until Sunday, March 29, 2020:

    • Classes at Bluefield State's main and Beckley campuses will not meet in-person. Course content and instruction will move to online, effective March 22nd.
    • Students will participate in these classes, complete assigmnents, and engage with their professors at prescribed meeting times. This teaching platform will ensure that students are able to complete their courses and meet their academic requirements. Additional information on how students will use this technology will be coming from the Office of the Provost.
    • Bluefield State leadership will be working on an individual basis with students who reside in off campus housing to assure their ability to comply with their classwork assignments.
    • The State of West Virginia has suspended college sponsored travel as well as nonessential travel for staff and faculty. Athletic games are suspended during this time. We want to mitigate the congregation of large groups of people.

    The changes, do not affect Bluefield State's day-to-day routine staff business. We will maintain academic and other support services. Our Threat Assessment Team will have further information for you.

    Cleanliness is a top priority. Our cleaning crews have taken extra measures to keep public and common areas on campus, as well as in resident housing and the dining hall clean with daily disinfections. This includes walls, windows, lavatories, railings, doors, floors and more. We will continue to disinfect the places students touch most. Additional hand sanitizing stations have been set up in high traffic areas.

    Our Threat Assessment Team is in place to ensure your well-being. This team is working closely with local government agencies and the local hospitals as well as in coordination across the campus.

    Students with academic concerns should connect with their professors or advisors. For those who are experiencing anxiety or excessive stress, please reach out to the Counseling Center at 304-327-4016. Bluefield State will always keep the latest information here at the top of our website.

    A hallmark of Bluefield State is our caring community, our day-to-day interactions, our small classes and strong relationships between professors and students. We understand that these measures are disruptive but we believe they will help minimize the risk. We are committed to returning to a normal state of operation.

    I want to thank our faculty and staff as they work hard to implement these initiatives; they are dedicated to the best interests and success of our students. The Bluefield State community is at its best when we work together. We are in challenging times. It's our commitment to each other that will help us all see this through.